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roadrunnerh

roadrunnerh

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Ok Fellas, Last winter, I discovered that the heat exchange in my Lenox furnace is cracked.....

So my wife's close friend's husband is supposed to give us a deal. He's a good dude, I've hung out with him a few times.
The guy does HVAC for a living and said he'll give me a good price on a furnace and AC. Here's one option:

Trane
95% Efficient Furnace
13 Seer
R-410A Refrigerant
2.5 Ton Condensing unit (A/C)

Installation includes wiring, ductwork, misc. parts.
Warranty
Lifetime heat exchanger
5 year parts
1 year labor

$4,650 Total. What do you guys think?
 
From what I heard Trane isn't what it used to be. Everything made overseas.
 
roadrunnerh said:
Ok Fellas, Last winter, I discovered that the heat exchange in my Lenox furnace is cracked.....

So my wife's close friend's husband is supposed to give us a deal. He's a good dude, I've hung out with him a few times.
The guy does HVAC for a living and said he'll give me a good price on a furnace and AC. Here's one option:

Trane
95% Efficient Furnace
13 Seer
R-410A Refrigerant
2.5 Ton Condensing unit (A/C)

Installation includes wiring, ductwork, misc. parts.
Warranty
Lifetime heat exchanger
5 year parts
1 year labor

$4,650 Total. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

I would call a couple more companies and get bids from them.


Just For Your Comparison.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5-Ton-Tra...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item53ecb25235


10 Year Warranty on Parts
10 Year Warranty on Compressor

eBay. Don't forget all the seller fees, shipping fees and PayPal fees on the auction that is added to the selling price.
 
I have a Trane. It was installed in 2007. It is a VERY noisy system. It heats and cools the house, but I don't like it. Installer sucked, salesperson promised the world, the usual bs you get with contractors.

I would do a LOT of research before you go with a Trane. Look into Carrier, for instance.

Everything I've read after I had mine installed and had noise problems said that the design and size of the ductwork has a lot to do with how well it works. Check references!
 
I actually work as an Energy Engineer serving the natural gas efficiency programs in the northeast. I cannot discuss project-specific details (which wouldn't matter much as I work in the commercial and industrial sector) but I can offer some advice if you want. Feel free to PM me.

As mentioned above, I would definitely shop around. Trane used to be good, but I'm not 100% on their newer stuff. Lennox and Carrier are two big names I would check out.

I would advise against Ebay. Better results will come from a local vendor using a product he prefers (not necessarily one he gets a cut on- huge difference).

Let me know if I can help in any way. I'm more than willing to lend my services.
 
73SwingerBuild said:
I actually work as an Energy Engineer serving the natural gas efficiency programs in the northeast. I cannot discuss project-specific details (which wouldn't matter much as I work in the commercial and industrial sector) but I can offer some advice if you want. Feel free to PM me.

As mentioned above, I would definitely shop around. Trane used to be good, but I'm not 100% on their newer stuff. Lennox and Carrier are two big names I would check out.

I would advise against Ebay. Better results will come from a local vendor using a product he prefers (not necessarily one he gets a cut on- huge difference).

Let me know if I can help in any way. I'm more than willing to lend my services.
Click to expand...

I wouln't go with eBay either, I would certianly want a local contractor. I just posted that for price comparison (with about $300 in fees plus the one item freight rates added in) and nothing more.
 
In canada that would be a good price,We now have a Goodman gas furnace 95 percent,lifetime on the exchanger installed for 3100,for ac its a Kenmore 10 sear now 4 years old cost installed was 2200,he is close but still making good money.My sister is now married to an hvac contractor,if I could of waited for the furnace his price 1200,ac 1500.As said shop around.
 
I cannot speak for the quality as I know nothing about that, but the figure sounds high.
 
I replaced both of my units with Rudds. No issues with either one of them. The downstairs is an A/C with gas pack and was installed about 6 years ago - no issues. Upstairs is a heat pump and air handler installed 4 years ago and no issues.

Remember that if your heat exchanger is cracked or open to the firs side the fumes from the furnace are blowing through it entering your house.......
 
StrokerScamp said:
I cannot speak for the quality as I know nothing about that, but the figure sounds high.
Click to expand...


It does to me also but every time I go to the lumber yard, grocery store or about any place else I realize I am out of touch with the prices of things now days. That is why I suggested calling other companies for bids.
 
I have Bryant, they have a lifetime heat exchanger warranty.

On my old house we put a Lennox in and the heat exchanger went bad in like 9 years - out of warranty.
 
A good baseline to get price comparison is a publication called RSMeans. I'm not sure if you have access to this, but it lists equipment and labor costs (as well as typical contractor markup) as well as location factors and can be used to give you a good baseline to work from. They release a new series every year.

This also begs the questions of whether or not you are looking to upgrade to an energy efficient unit. Does your unit fire oil/gas/propane? Are these efficiency incentives available in your area from the utility companies?
 
What you have not mentioned is what percentage of the costs are related to the install, ducting, lines ect. Is this a simple swap of one for the other with out adding any duct lines or upgrading the lines from your air handler to your ac unit?

I bought 2.5 ton Coleman heat pump and Goodman air handler direct from a custom ducting company then hired a contractor for the wiring install and hookup. Had less than $2,500 total.

"Train" is supposed to be creme de la creme. But I am convinced it is all the same stuff with different brand labels on them. You could probably find a better deal, but then again this guy might come out and fix something for you on the first day of summer when the AC stops
 
I would go with a heil. They are a little more but are worth it one of the best going right now
 
I've got a Lennox. Love it, you set the temperature and the humidity that you want the house to stay at, and that's it. The unit does the rest. Heat, air, humidifier, dehumidifier, and whole house fan all in one.

You can even program it to react to the outside temperature. It also has 3 zones, and you can set it for 5 temperature changes per day.
But... it's expensive to buy, but pretty cheap to run.
 
I have owned a H.V.A.C. company here in Wis. for the last 15 years and have been in the trade for 27 years,You guy's have some interesting comments here,I was a Trane dealer for the first 5 years in Business and dumped them when they were sold for the 4th time and started selling in the big box stores which by the way FAILED just like what's happening to Lennox right now.If you want honest answers even though you might not like them p.m. and I will answer any question you have--Steve
 
Do NOT go to the internet for ANY question,Ask a local contractor-The Internet will and is putting honest contractors out of business. Steve
 
swifter is right, but NONE are "what they used to be" I would NOT put in another condensing furnace (90%+) as ALL of them have higher maintenance issues. I'd put in an "80%+" which is NOT "condensing." Most of those are much simpler and have less maintenance issues

I used to maintain residential/ light commercial HVAC/R. I used to think Carrier and Lennox "were it" Lennox lost a LOT of points for me over the pulse furnace debacle (in the way they handled the problem)

Ruud/ Rheem is not a top of the line brand, and so far as I'm concerned, neither is Crane or Trane (American Standard).

Carrier and some of it's offspring:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier_Corporation

ONE BIG THING is to find a company who SUPPORTS and MAINTAINS their equipment. I used to be proud of the fact that as much as 90% of the time I could repair a furnace "on the spot" without having to order parts. This has become complicated as more and more appliances use proprietary parts, draft inducer blowers, specialised control boards, etc.

But AT LEAST they should be able to support what they sell and install, and by that I don't mean "ordering parts" while you get cold, or hot, as the case may be
 
I'm a comfortmaker dealer--Go comfortmaker .com check it out--Steve
 
swifter said:
Do NOT go to the internet for ANY question,Ask a local contractor-The Internet will and is putting honest contractors out of business. Steve
Click to expand...

How can that be? Please explain. I do look at the internet so I am an informed buyer. I always go with local contractors and would rather have some idea on if the contractor's information is good or just full of B.S.
 
IMO the most important thing with getting a new system is the installation. Some guy just throwing a system in and not properly cleaning the line for intance could mean major problems.

A couple years ago we had a new system put in when we bought our house. It's a Payne (part of Carrier) 13 seer, 5 ton, 10 year warranty for 2,500. But, most of it was covered by the home warranty.
 
Wow! Thank you guys for all the feedback! I knew I could post on FABO and get some good information. I really appreciate it!


swifter said:
I'm a comfortmaker dealer--Go comfortmaker .com check it out--Steve
Click to expand...

The contractor I am considering is recommending a comfortmaker unit.
I never heard of this company. Are they new or a spin-off of someone else?
 
The one thing to remember with Carrier is that it uses Pureon freon, very costly and runs twice the pressure. Trane may have been sold a few times buy so has everyone else. The trane scroll compressor is still one of the best in the industry. Must of your units use copelan compressors, furness contactors ect. checki the compressor warranty, firebox warranty, and main board warranties they are your most expensive parts to replace. I like American Standard/Trane as I have had fewer call backs then any other brand. As stated be sure of your installer, you could have the best unit made and if not installed correctly, it can be noisy, less efficent and give you many head aches. Also Do NOT let them install a new condenser and A coil set Without running a NEW Line set!
 
Mr.FT said:
The one thing to remember with Carrier is that it uses Pureon freon, very costly and runs twice the pressure.
Click to expand...

That's odd, everything I have read shows Carrier uses the same 410a as everyone else. They just push the Puron brand of 410a because they helped produce it so they get money from it. Just like Suva 410a or Genetron 410a. I have a Payne (part of Carrier) and my sister has a Carrier system and the pressures are the same as any other brand. The pressure increase came on all units when they switched from 22 to 410.
 
Unfortunately, R410a is with us and we can't do much about it. But any system designed to use it "should" be designed to put up with the pressure, valves, O rings, etc.

I'm convinced stuff like this has much more to do with end of patent life for Dupont than it does protecting the environment.

And who knows? It took a LONG time to figure out that R-12, 22, etc were allegedly bad for the environment, in another 40 years (I won't be here) we may find that 410a is WORSE

The thing one must realize is that there's LOTS of chemicals that can act as a refrigerant, including WATER. You've all heard of ammonia. Years ago, sulfer dioxide and methyl chloride were also used. All were VERY toxic and dangerous.

Propane and CO2 could be used, but both have problems, high operating pressures, and in the case of propane, ker freeking balooey.

Refrigerants must mix with available oils, must not corrode or otherwise react with internal system components, and of course it's pretty damn handy if they are not explosive, toxic, harm the environment in some way, or promote things like cancer, or be flammable.

But even the R12-22 type cfc/hcfc refrigerants can be very dangerous. Let's say you were trapped in a fairly minor wreck, help on the way, with a minor fire. The older R-12 in your cars had two dangers. ONE, the oil in the refrigerant burns even though the refrigerant does not, but WORSE, running such refrigerants as R-12 through a fire produces deadly phosgene gas, right out of WWII. It wil seriously kill ya - dead.

I just don't know how we possibly lived "back then." I grew up in a home with no AC, none of the schools I ever attended had AC, and I never had a car with AC until I bought the 70 RR which had "hang on AC". And since then, I've had a NUMBER of vehicles without AC, including the 67

BRING BACK THE VENTS I say!!!!
 
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